The present invention relates to an improved order placement system allowing interactive audiovisual communication between a customer at a remote order station and an attendant receiving orders, such as may be used in a restaurant.
Order communication systems have been designed to allow a customer to place an order from a remote station and an employee to take the order while inside a business establishment, typically a fast food restaurant. This arrangement provides the customer the convenience of placing and picking up orders without leaving the car, and allows employees of the business establishment to more efficiently serve customers using two avenues: inside and drive-through.
In the usual scenario, a customer drives his car around the building to a marked location and stops in front of a speaker and menu board. The menu board lists the available items for order and their prices, and an audio system connected to the speaker generally allows two-way communication between the customer and an attendant inside the building. The customer places an order which the attendant records in a point-of-sale system. The attendant verifies the customer order and typically tells the customer the total amount owed. The order is then relayed to employees who fill the order. In a restaurant establishment, the order is sent to the grill area where kitchen employees cook and package the food. At the same time, the customer drives to a window in the building where he may speak with the attendant face to face. The customer pays the amount owed and subsequently receives his order.
Two well-known disadvantages to a drive-through order placement system are inaccuracies in filling orders and the lack of personal service. A main contributor to the problem of mistakes in orders is inefficient communication through the audio system. To address this problem, order communication systems have been designed with improved audio capability.
Further, audiovisual functionality has been included in order communication systems which allows the customer to see a textual indication of each ordered item for verifying purposes. However, this type of verification is piecemeal and, further, is wholly ineffective for the significant number of customers with language barriers or who otherwise have difficulty reading English.
Additionally, audiovisual order systems have been designed which allow the customer to see the image of the order taking attendant, which creates a feeling of personal service.
Poor audio quality in prior art systems also creates inefficiency in the ordering process. When the customer is unable to hear his order repeated, he cannot verify its accuracy and must do so at the window when he is speaking with the attendant. The customer may also have difficulty hearing or simply ignore the attendant when he relates the total amount owed on the order. This also causes a delay when the customer reaches the window.
Prior art systems also present disadvantages with regard to security matters. When a customer cannot verify his order visually, the chance of employee misconduct, such as overpricing, is increased. Similarly, when the attendant has no visual access to the customer, the occurrence of prank orders may be increased. More importantly, allowing the attendant to view the customer may prevent more serious activity such as theft or violence.
Finally, prior art systems have failed to recognize a golden marketing opportunity. Typically, prior art systems allow only static promotional materials which must be changed or updated by hand and are prime targets for vandalism. The ability to post special announcements, such as hiring notices, is very limited. Thus, prior art systems provide little flexibility among franchisees of businesses.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for an order communication system which provides both audio and visual interactive communication between a drive-through customer and an attendant. Further, a need exists for an order system which may be easily and efficiently managed, and allows flexible programming to achieve optimal promotional value.